Escapade
by gaijinmononoke
Summary: IYHarry Potter crossover. Kagome decides to do something to kick her latent miko powers into gear. But when she orders a magic course of the internet in a bout of half awake insanity, she might be biting off more than she can chew! (chapter 6 is up!)
1. KWIKSPELL

Author's note: Well here is Chapter One... EDITED. And there's a disclaimer this time too! Hehe...yup...I forgot to do that last time...  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha OR Harry Potter.  
  
Chapter One: KWIKSPELL  
  
On a slightly warm day, in a town that was, perhaps not quite what you and I are used to, but certainly nothing too unusual for it's time and place, the villagers were at ease. As much as everyone loved Kagome-sama, when she went home to her strange country things were a bit more subdued than normal. And not just because the general area was calm enough for her companions to allow her to leave in the first place. Of the said companions, the most troublesome by far was the one who by all rights belonged to the little village, for he had become so ingrained in their legends that the boldest of children fawned away from his gaze, though they all watched him with something bordering terror and worship. This was where the problem came in. For though many of the nasty things said of him were exaggerations or downright lies, Inuyasha did have a dirty mouth... A very, very, dirty mouth. And what is a mother to do when her youngest son calls her "that bitch who wouldn't let me stay out," or her daughter of nine summers tells her father quite eloquently to "get his ass in the house for supper,"? Every well meaning parent was on high alert, for even when Kagome- sama, Inuyasha, and their ever growing band of allies went of searching for jewel shards, there was always the possibility that Kagome-sama would come hurtling onto the horizon on that strange bicycle of hers, with Inuyasha on her heels shouting profanities at her until he was "subdued" which only made him louder. But then Kagome-sama would leave, and though they missed her, the people of the village were content, for it was during this time that Inuyasha was most quite. Though he would fidget quite a bit, nobody complained about the boy's seemingly insurmountable need for activity, as long as all that energy was used for their chores and not a blight on some anthill on the edge of town. Yes, they were content, for even at the end of their short peace they would be given back their Kagome-sama, who was wise, beautiful, and had the oh-so-satisfying ability to pound their resident hanyou into the ground if he swore in front of young children while she was around.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Inuyasha himself was not in the village at the moment. He was currently sitting in a clearing in the woods in front of an old dried-up well. He was scratching one ear with his foot in a suspiciously dog-like manner and staring off into space, having given up on glaring at Shippou and hoping the dumb kitsune would take a hint and beat it long ago. Kagome had gone home yesterday. Or rather, she had stormed off...  
  
Inuyasha had the vague idea that he'd made her mad saying SOMETHING about either her time or her fighting skills that had really upset her. It wasn't that he WANTED her to be all upset, but how was he supposed to apologize if he didn't know what he'd said?  
  
'Besides,' he thought, 'knowing Kagome it was probably something dumb.'  
  
He had left Miroku in Kaede-baba's hut being nursed back to health after being knocked unconscious by Sango for (what else?) being a pervert. He snorted at the thought. In spite of all that talk about subtlety Miroku was worse than HE was sometimes.  
  
Shippou was currently balancing on the lip of the well. He wondered vaguely if he ought to through a stone at Shippou to see if he could knock him in. How deep was that well? Ten feet? Fifteen? Well it couldn't be enough to cause serious damage. Besides, he was BORED! That matter settled, he picked up the rock, and successfully toppled Shippou, then ran off before said kitsune could pop into his pink balloon form and start gnawing on his head.  
  
'Kagome would be pissed as hell if she were here,' he thought smugly.  
  
All right, so maybe that was a bit immature, but a guy has a right to be petty when he's been slammed into the ground for no apparent reason by a person who then storms off without a word of explanation or apology.  
  
'She was really mad this time,' he mused. 'I wonder what I did...'  
  
But the thoughts were cut short as Shippou the pink blob, or 'Jaws' as Inuyasha had taken to calling him, attached him self to the dog-boy's head.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Kagome was in a good mood.  
  
At first, she'd come home steaming mad and more than a little hurt at Inuyasha's comment about her battle prowess. How dare he say something about her latent Miko powers after all he'd gone through to master Tetsusaiga? And to make matters worse, she just knew he was comparing her to Kikyo. He hadn't said it out loud, but how could he not, when even she had been reminded of the Miko, when her training was brought up...  
  
Well anyway, she'd gone home, and deciding firmly not to cry, had a nice hot bath, then ate some iced-cream, and all-in-all was feeling at peace with the world.  
  
Except one thing was bothering her. She was tired of not having control of her magic powers! (And even as she thought that, she wondered what kind of brain fever her friends at school would think she had if they heard that.) She had been improving slowly since the first time she fell through the well, and her aim was getting better every day, yet she couldn't help but wonder if she would ever be able to make barriers like Kikyo did.  
  
And so, in an iced-cream induced sugar-high mid-night stupor, she had decided to take matters into her own hands. Which against all logic had led her to e-bay at one thirty in the morning, where she purchased something called KWIKSPELL: A Correspondence Course in Beginners Magic (sold by someone calling himself BatWings), then promptly fell asleep.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Two days later found Kagome cheerful, caught up in class (more or less), and ready to diplomatically make up with Inuyasha whether he wanted to be made up with or not!  
  
Then Mama found something quite interesting in the mailbox. It was that KWIKSPELL thing Kagome'd gotten off e-bay, probably junk, but bringing it along with her schoolbooks wouldn't hurt right? So with that decided, she put the KWIKSPELL course in her already bulging backpack said goodbye to Mamma, Souta, and Jii-chan, then made her way out of the house, and returned to Feudal Japan.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Mrs. Higurashi sighed, and sipped her tea. Sunlight filtered into the kitchen through half closed shutters. Buyo was curled up next to the cookie jar on the shelf, simply lounging because trying to get down without help would be futile anyway, and he really did not feel like causing a racket. The family used to have tea together when the children were not at school, but life had become so hectic what with Kagome's time traveling, and Souta's making the football team... Mrs. Higurashi made a mental note to thank Inuyasha the next time she saw him for helping Souta practice. He claimed he wouldn't have helped if Kagome had been willing to leave, but the little speech he'd given Souta had been quite sweet, especially since he'd refrained from swearing for the whole thing. She had thanked him for THAT, and he had turned bright red. Apparently he hadn't thought she knew he was a potty-mouth. Thinking about it made her snort into her cup.  
  
'How could I miss the things you yell at my daughter when she sits you?'  
  
She sat in contemplative silence, watching Buyo's tail wave slowly back and forth. All was quiet. Kagome was once again back in time, Grandpa was sweeping in the front, and Souta was... somewhere...  
  
BANG!  
  
Mrs. Higurashi jumped to her feet, wondering franticly what Souta had done as she raced to the front hall, where the noise had come from. Only to find a group of the strangest looking people she'd ever seen standing by the door.  
  
Souta came crashing down the stairs, and called out the second he saw her, "I didn't do it!" And skid to a stop behind her to stair at the strange visitors who were now speaking to one another in hushed and frantic English.  
  
"Damnit all Brocklehurst! You missed!" One man in strange blue robes was saying to a tall wiry man in green.  
  
"Now what do we tell them?" cut in one woman, also in green robes. "'Oh hi there? We had a question and really were going to knock, but we found ourselves suddenly inside your house?' Honestly, would apparating OUTSIDE the door have been so difficult?"  
  
"Well I'm sorry Holms," Said 'Brocklehurst. "But it wasn't my idea to test the spell. Nonetheless use it to get all the way to Japan! Damn Fudge! He's so set on making progress now that 'you know who' is back that he's become illogical. We could have all just apparated separately, but no we have to test the bloody brand-new transportation spell while we're at it!"  
  
"True, true." Came 'Holms' and the rest.  
  
Mrs. Higurashi was a bit confused, and would have been even more bewildered had not she been used to the sort of things her daughter brought home.  
  
"Can I help you?" She ventured in English.  
  
At which point, the five adults in her hallway jumped and paled, probably not having expected her to understand their conversation. 'Holms' recovered first, and stepped forward.  
  
"Good afternoon," She said holding out her hand. Mrs. Higurashi shook it. "I'm Ms. Holms, and I believe you are Mrs. Higurashi?" Mrs. Higurashi could only nod. "We are with the British Ministry, and we believe that you, under no fault of your own, have come into possession of a dangerous weapon. It would have come in a box this morning..."  
  
"Oh!" said Souta. Mostly just to show the gaijins that he could speak English too. "You mean that package my sister got this morning? Cause I don't think it looked too dangerous."  
  
"Well the original contents of the box were harmless, I'm sure," said Ms. Holms. "But it may have also contained a...new...kind of...a chemical weapon! So we will need it returned right away!"  
  
It was Mrs. Higurashi's turn to go white. Kagome had left at least an hour ago. How would she warn her daughter against the package? Would Inuyasha realize if it smelled funny? She could only hope. And how would she explain Kagome's absence to these strange officials?  
  
But then she was saved by the proverbial bell.  
  
"What was all that racket? It sounded like an explosion!" Jii-chan came bowling through the front door, nearly knocking over Brocklehurst in the process. "And when did they get here?" He said, indicating the strangers, looking for all the world as over-whelmed as he had the first time his wards had failed to keep Inuyasha out of their house.  
  
"It's alright, Jii-chan," said Souta patiently. "These are agents from the British ministry, I think they're looking for Kagome."  
  
"Eh?" Was Jii-chan's intelligent response.  
  
Based on the blank looks on most of their faces, it seemed that Holms was the only one who spoke Japanese.  
  
"I'm afraid Kagome isn't home right now," Mrs. Higurashi said in English. "And I really have no way of reaching her for the moment. I have a kettle on the stove... Shall I get you some tea?"  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Oi Kagome!"  
  
"Kagome's back!"  
  
Kagome smiled. Inuyasha and Shippou had waited for her at the well had they? That was...sweet.  
  
"Inuyasha, could I hand up my bag? It's too heavy to throw."  
  
"Yeah, whatever."  
  
Well... That was the closest to polite Inuyasha was going to get at the moment, so Kagome hefted up her bag, and pushed it up and out of the well.  
  
"Oi Kagome! What the hell did you put in this thing? It's even heavier than it usually is!"  
  
"Did you bring me candy Kagome? Or new crayons?" Shippou wanted to know.  
  
"Yes Shippou, I brought you candy, but it's for later okay?"  
  
"Hai Kagome." Shippou proceeded to perch on her shoulder. She started to walk to the village.  
  
Inuyasha was left behind with the bulging yellow book bag.  
  
He had been prepared for a big argument with Kagome once she got back. But she didn't seem to be mad anymore...  
  
"Keh, stupid girl." He grumped, as he swung the pack over his shoulder, and followed after her. 


	2. MORE Visitors

Disclaimer: Nope...I still don't own them...  
  
Chapter Two: MORE "Visitors"  
  
The stars were brilliant points of light in the sky. And midnight hung over the world like a dark satin cloth embellished with countless jewels of white and blue. The many trees could be seen as slender silhouettes, glowing silver in the light of a waxing crescent. Crickets serenaded the slumbering land, and creatures of the night moved with silent grace; as dark shadows beautiful and mysterious, haunting the woods.  
  
In a small grove of birches a fire stayed lit into the night. Six companions sat around the flame. There was a man in the robes of a monk, and a woman in a simple kimono. They lay apart, just close enough to speak with one another, and the space was deliberate. Also dead to the world, was a kitsune boy, curled up in the double tail of a large cat. Two of the companions, however sat awake; one was huddled up to the fire, with a multitude of textbooks bulging from a yellow pack, and her nose in on of the said books. The other watched his friends from a tree, for he rarely slept, and now he was keeping watch. His eyes would flick between all the rest of the companions, though he lingered on the one other remaining awake. The waking are oft the more interesting to watch.  
  
"An isosceles triangle has...two equal sides?" Kagome could not sleep. It was as simple as that. Well...it was more than you average bout of insomnia, because she actually had a reason to stay up.  
  
Kagome was determined to finish her math homework.  
  
So determined, in fact, that she had sworn to herself that she would not look at her spell book until it was finished.  
  
All of her other homework had been a breeze. Literature was easy, as she had already finished the book she was reporting on earlier that day whilst waiting for Miroku to come to so they could leave. History, well... all she really had to do to get her history homework done was look outside. Various other homeworks were easy enough to complete, and she had gotten the course work for the next few days since her 'Rhinoceritis' (she was pretty sure Jii-chan had made that one up) would not allow her to return to class for at LEAST five days. But her accursed math homework was taking forever, made worse by the fact that her calculator needed new batteries, which wouldn't be invented for nearly five hundred years.  
  
And Kagome CERTAINLY did NOT have five hundred years to do her math homework.  
  
But thankfully, even the evil Maths professor had yet to create the unending assignment.  
  
"Ah...done! Finally!" And Kagome started a little victory dance, still nice and warm in her sleeping bag.  
  
Then she glared in the general direction of the snort that had come out of the canopy.  
  
"What's so funny?" She called up grumpily. Her voice was quiet, but she knew he could hear.  
  
Inuyasha jumped down from his tree, and landed lightly in front of Kagome.  
  
"You looked like a worm wiggling around in that thing, Kagome," he snickered.  
  
"I was dancing," she said, indignant. "And you would be too if you had just finished all your homework, so that it couldn't haunt you in your sleep for even one night! Besides, it's cold, and I'd much rather dance in my sleeping bag than dance and freeze!"  
  
"Keh."  
  
Kagome rolled her eyes, and turned back to her pack.  
  
"Oi Kagome! I thought you said you were done," Inuyasha said in question.  
  
"I am," answered Kagome. "But something you said before I went home last time got me thinking..." At this Inuyasha's ears perked up: he wanted to know what he had said that had been so offensive. "At first I was just really mad," said Kagome. Her expression darkened as if she was contemplating going back to being angry. "But then I started to wonder why I can't use my Miko powers at will, like Kikyo can. You know make barriers and stuff..."  
  
'Oh so it was about that, huh?' Inuyasha nodded for her to continue.  
  
"So then I realized Kikyo is a trained Miko, so maybe all I need to do is train myself to use my powers!"  
  
"You think that'll work Kagome?" He asked.  
  
"Well... we're about," Kagome paused when Shippou snored so loudly it was a wonder nobody woke up. "We're about to find out."  
  
Kagome rummaged for something in her pack for a while, then pulled out a brown box about the size of a stack of two or three textbooks.  
  
"I got this course when I was in my time. It's called 'KWIKSPELL: a Correspondence Course in Beginners Magic' or something like that."  
  
Inuyasha snorted. "You got that in your time, Kagome? It's probably a load of shit, then."  
  
"It's not Inuyasha," she said, and pointed at the box. "Whatever it is has SOMETHING magic in it, because I know I'm sensing something, and NO," she put in quickly, seeing his hopeful look. "It is definitely NOT a Shikon shard!"  
  
"Keh..."  
  
They stood in silence for a while. Then Kagome sat down, with a rustle of fabric, and placed the brown box in her lap. She was about to open it (there was no WAY she was going to sleep), when...  
  
"Oi Kagome?" Inuyasha was looking from her to the package in her lap.  
  
"What?"  
  
"You said you sensed magic in that box?"  
  
"Uh-huh."  
  
"Then maybe I should open it for you... It would be stupid for you to take a risk..."  
  
"Inuyasha..." Kagome said. 'That's so thoughtful of him,' her mind added. "Alright," she said, handing him the box, "But I don't think there's anything to worry about. The magic I'm sensing is pure..."  
  
Inuyasha slit the box open with a claw, and opened the lid. There was a moment of almost tangible tension, if the crickets were still chirping, or the fire still crackling, or Kagome's sleeping bag still rustling, nobody heard it.  
  
Then...  
  
Silence.  
  
Nothing exploded. No strangely colored gas seeped out. No feral beast leapt to attack.  
  
Kagome took that as her cue to breath again.  
  
"Well," She said cheerfully. "It look's like there really wasn't anything to worry about.  
  
"Whatever. Here take it," Inuyasha handed her the box. And she dumped the contents onto a blanket in the grass, set up near enough to the fire that it was visible, but far enough away that it wouldn't catch a stray spark and become kindling.  
  
Kagome crouched next to the blanket, and Inuyasha peered over her shoulder, looking nonchalant as ever.  
  
There was a list of materials and Kagome started to look over it.  
  
(1) Copy of 'A Guide to Beginners Magic: The Wonder of Wand Technique'  
  
(1) Copy of 'The KWIKSPELL Spell book'  
  
(2) Mixing flasks  
  
(1) Cauldron. Pewter. Standard size two.  
  
(1) Wa...  
  
Kagome gasped.  
  
"Inuyasha," she said. "I think I figured out where that magic was coming from..."  
  
"Wha..."  
  
"It's a magic wand," 'made of yew. Unicorn hair core. Eleven inches.' Read the list. "This is so cool!"  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
To say the Higurashi house was tense would be something of an understatement.  
  
It had been two hours since they had received their European 'visitors,' and they had since been introduced as Margaret Holms, Peter Brocklehurst, George Bennit, Walter Semski, and Linda Templeton.  
  
The whole of the Higurashi family (with the exception of Kagome, of course) were having tea with their guests. Though after two hours the cups were pretty much drained. The Higurashi's were at a loss. It was clear that these agents were planning on waiting for Kagome. And neither Mama, Souta, or Jii-chan, could think of an inconspicuous way to explain to them that Kagome would likely be gone the first half of the week. Since they were at a loss, they simply said nothing, or at least, as little as possible.  
  
The 'ministry officials' were at a loss as well, for most of them had only scraped through muggle studies. Because of this, they said as little as custom would allow.  
  
The result was a VERY quiet teatime.  
  
That is, until the doorbell rang.  
  
"I'll get it!" Said Souta, jumping up, grabbing the excuse to leave the room.  
  
He raced down the hall, past the site of the as of yet, unexplained banging noise, praying to Kami-sama for one of his friends to be ringing to ask him to go to a movie. He was met with two MORE Brits. One man, and one woman.  
  
"Hi there." Said the woman. She had black spiky hair, and looked no older than twenty-two. "You must be Souta, right? I hope you'll forgive me for speaking in English. My Japanese is horrendous! I would try to say 'how are you,' and ask for a fish instead... I'm Tonks, by the way. Nympha...ugh, just Tonks, the rest is pungent."  
  
"Uh... Hi" said Souta unsurely.  
  
"Pleased to meet you Souta. My name is Lupin," said the man next to Tonks. He looked older, with some grey hair showing on his head, and slightly tattered clothing. It was then that Souta noticed these two did not wear weird robes like their other visitors, though they obviously new who he was, the two parties were more than likely acquainted. Lupin bowed politely, and Souta decided Lupin was all right. His voice was soothing, like balm to Souta's frazzled nerves. Tonks seemed nice too, he decided, if a bit bewildering...  
  
Souta stepped aside, and the new guests were coming in when they heard a distinct rustling in the bush.  
  
Both Lupin and Tonks turned sharply, ready for a confrontation seemingly. Or Lupin was at least. His hand went to his pocket where Souta supposed he had a gun, if he was another 'ministry officer.' Tonks had tripped over her own feet, and was now standing up with a muttered curse. Then came a second noise: a male and a female voice, scolding someone simultaneously. 'RON!'  
  
Lupin's hand left his pocket weaponless, and he seemed to relax.  
  
Tonks called out, "Oy Harry, Hermione, Ron! I thought you lot were supposed to be with old mad eye."  
  
Three faces popped up from behind the bushes. Two boys and one girl, all looking guilty and nervous.  
  
The boy with black hair, glasses, and a strange scar on his forehead answered first. "Oh, er... We decided we'd come help..."  
  
The taller boy with flaming red hair interrupted him. "It was bloody boring back there! The game won't start until next week, and Moody was being creepy! He kept cleaning his glass eye and yelling 'VILIGENCE!' Besides you two might want help cleaning up what ever mess the ministry causes."  
  
Here the girl cut in as she stood, and brushed herself off. "And they WILL cause a mess. Harry and I both live with Muggles remember? And out of all of us out here I'M the only one who learned Japanese before we came!"  
  
"Well we can't ALL pick up a language in TWO WEEKS!" said the red haired boy heatedly. The girl glared at him.  
  
"You'll want to shut up now, Ron..." said the other boy.  
  
"Er...right..." Ron gulped as he stared in the face of the wrath he had incurred...again...  
  
"So..." said the boy with glasses. "We're not in trouble, are we?" 


	3. Abracadabra

Authors note:  
  
I'm very HAPPY! Thank you to Rejected Angel and Sashlea for being my first and second reviewers. Also thanks to Sashlea I am now accepting anonymous reviews. I didn't know my computer was set to refuse them (the traitor).  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Inuyasha. I don't own Abracadabra either, but neither does anyone else. And that's an encouraging thought.  
  
Chapter Three: Abracadabra  
  
Last time:  
  
"It's a magic wand," 'made of yew. Unicorn hair core. Eleven inches.' Read the list. "This is so cool!"  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Transfixed, Kagome reached out for the wand, childlike excitement in her eyes. She slid her finger over the polished wood with a feather-light touch. After a moment she picked it up. The firelight glistened on the lacquered surface, as if there was a fire inside, just waiting to be let out. She stared at it, as if in trance.  
  
"Kagome?" Inuyasha said uncertainly. She had said nothing for quite a while.  
  
Kagome blinked, then looked at him and grinned. "Sorry Inuyasha. It's just, it's a REAL magic wand!" She was holding in a happy squeal for the sake of her slumbering friends, and doing another dance, hopping around in her sleeping bag. She looked back at Inuyasha, and the weirded out expression on his face made her grin widen into a full-fledged smile. She giggled and waved the wand in the direction of the tree, away from their camp.  
  
"Abracadabra!" she said quietly not wanting to wake anyone.  
  
She had not, of course, expected for anything to happen.  
  
So the when the whole clearing erupted into bright white light with a crash as loud as thunder, she was just as shocked as everyone else.  
  
"KYAAAAAAAA!" Was what Inuyasha heard before Kagome dropped the wand with a start, and latched onto his arm, burying her face in the red fabric of his clothing, as she continued to scream.  
  
"Ahhhhhh! KAAAGOMEEEE WHAT'S GOING ON?" That was Shippou...  
  
Sango was admirably level headed, only gasping sharply when she opened her eyes to the blinding light.  
  
"Iie Sango! Your all wet!" Miroku woke up as the sound and light began to fade. Then he gulped at the sight of Sango's angry glare. She looked sleepy, but that only meant rational thought could not protect him.  
  
"HOUSHI-SAMA!" Sango shrieked. "I do NOT want to know what that was about, but if you value your life you will keep your subconscious under control!"  
  
"Ah Sango I was merely-"  
  
"Look at that you guys!" Shippou was perched on Kirara's back. He was starting wide-eyed at the light part of the forest...  
  
Wait...  
  
The...Light part?  
  
Kagome lifted her face from Inuyasha's sleeve, and let out a short gasp.  
  
"Beautiful..."  
  
And it was.  
  
A blue mist hung over the woods in front of them and the mist was lit by small pinpricks of light, slightly bigger, and brighter than fireflies. The source of the light was indiscernible, the fog hung like a shimmering veil between them, glowing, and refracting the mysterious light.  
  
Sango forgot her strife with Miroku, if only for a moment.  
  
Inuyasha tensed. Kagome, who had yet to relinquish her grasp on his arm, sensed the change.  
  
"Ano...Inuyasha...is something wrong?"  
  
For a moment he said nothing, but then he answered, "I smell Youkai. What exactly did you do, Kagome?"  
  
"Huh? Kagome, you did that?" Said Shippou.  
  
Kagome looked pensively at the magic wand on the ground.  
  
"Kagome-sama?" said Miroku.  
  
"I...I didn't mean to do anything. I'm sorry for waking all of you up."  
  
"Kagome-chan. What happened? The magic you used is so strong that I can sense it."  
  
"Yes the amount of power here is incredible."  
  
Now it was Inuyasha who looked pensive. Kagome just stared at the wand dubiously.  
  
"All I did was waive the wand around, and say Abracadabra."  
  
At that moment two things happened. The wand on the ground flared blue at the tip for a moment, and then went out.* Then the lights in the fog rushed toward one another, and collided, forming a solid mass of white light, until that too flickered out, turning to mist and shadow, slowly shaping into a humanoid silhouette.  
  
The dark figure sauntered towards them as the mist began to dissipate. A short boy with flaming red hair, red eyes, and the pointed ears of a youkai stepped into the clearing. His face was that of a young child, looking no older than ten, but his expression hinted he was older. His boyish features were twisted into a scowl, and he reminded Kagome of Jii-chan when he was in a strop.  
  
"Who the hell are you?"  
  
'Wow, way to make friends, Inuyasha,' Kagome thought, and repressed the urge to roll her eyes.  
  
"You summoned me but you don't know who I am?" Questioned the small Youkai. If anything, he looked even more irritated then before.  
  
"Summoned you?" Kagome echoed.  
  
"Yes girl, you said the spell to drag me here, then said it again to pull me together. Don't tell me you didn't mean to do it! Then I got dragged out here for nothing..."  
  
"Who...ARE you?" Asked Kagome.  
  
"Gods how thick can you get? Did I not just TELL you who I was? Oh this is just GRAND! I bet you don't even have anything for me to do! Am I right?"  
  
"Just answer Kagome's question!" Inuyasha growled, now thoroughly irritated.  
  
"All right, fine," said the youkai placidly, though he looked more than a bit perturbed. "My name is Abracadabra.** You summoned me here, and until I do a good deed that only a demon of my noble stature could do I'm stuck with you guys," he rattled this information off, as if he was forced to say the same thing every day.  
  
Inuyasha snorted. "You say that as if you were some great Taiyoukai or something, when in reality you're just a twerp." At that he batted Shippou, who had climbed onto his shoulder at some point during the interview, just for emphasis, and then he sat down cross-legged with his head turned away, though his ears were still trained on this Abracadabra fellow.  
  
'No use underestimating a weak youkai. It was a centipede and a crow youkai who started this mess with the Shikon, and they were about as low as you go...'  
  
"I'm an ELEMENTAL demon, stupid. I do fire, illusions, conjuring, the whole package! After all, I WAS enough of a nuisance for the Lady of Avalon herself to curse me four hundred years ago! And THAT was before those blockheads with their 'new religion' started blotting out all the magic. I was so terrible that a near-god had to stop me!"  
  
"Hey wait! You're from England? How'd you get HERE?" Queried Kagome.  
  
"What's Inglad Kagome?"  
  
"Did you learn about it in your time, Kagome-chan?"  
  
"A-hem," Abracadabra said, shutting everyone up. "The answer to your question, Miss Kagome, is yes, I am from England. I am here because you summoned me, and now I have to do a good deed for you in order for me to return. I don't know HOW you learned my name. It was my impression the Britton had few dealings with the Indies, but whatever! Just give me a good dead to do, and I'll be on my way."  
  
"So...ano...are there any requirements for this good deed you need to do?" Asked Kagome.  
  
"Well they're not set in stone, but it has to be grand enough...the spell kind of decides for its self... If I do a good deed and disappear, then you know it worked."  
  
"A-alright. Does anyone have any ideas?" Kagome looked around at her friends, who stared blankly back.  
  
Silence.  
  
"Apparently not," Abracadabra muttered.  
  
"I know!" Said Shippou. "He could cut up a big log into fire wood, so that the next group of people who come here won't make the youngest and cutest go hunt for sticks!"  
  
Inuyasha rolled his eyes, and Miroku coughed into his hand. Sango merely sent him a wry glance.  
  
"It's worth a try," said Kagome.  
  
"I agree," said the redheaded fire demon.  
  
Abracadabra located a log at the edge of the clearing. It was just a bit rotten in some parts, but not to bad. He rubbed his chin, then walked up to it and snapped.  
  
The log broke into dozens of tinier pieces.  
  
He snapped again, and the pieces stacked them selves.  
  
Then he waited... And waited...  
  
But he didn't disappear.  
  
"Damn!"  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
A man sat on the floor in a dark room.  
  
The room was empty, save for him, and the wand he twirled between long, pale fingers.  
  
He was troubled.  
  
Lord Voldemort was troubled.  
  
It was gone. Vanished. If it was there, he could no longer sense it.  
  
'I will send Nagini***'  
  
A rat scurried by him.  
  
"Wormtail," the voice was cold and cruel. HIS voice.  
  
The rat stopped, then turned into a man, still cowering on all fours.  
  
"Yes, my Lord?" he said, suppressing the shake in his voice.  
  
He chuckled cruelly.  
  
"Go find some of your rat friends, and bring them in here. I have a job for Nagini, and she will be hungry."  
  
"Ye-yes! My Lord!" He squeaked.  
  
"Ah..." Harry woke up, his scar burning sharply. He clamped his hands over his forehead, and waited for the pain to die down.  
  
For a moment he was confused. He was in a room with five other people; sleeping bags were spread all over the floor. It wasn't Hogwarts.  
  
Oh right.  
  
He was in the guest room of the Higurashi Shrine, waiting for that girl Kagome to come back from her camping trip. Mrs. Higurashi had been kind enough to offer them a place to stay, since they had expected this to be a simple retrieval. The girls were in Kagome's room, and the boys here in the guest room.  
  
'Why did I dream that?' Harry wondered. He had been taking classes with Professor Dumbledore, so that he wouldn't get anymore of those visions. Goodness knows what they had already cost him...  
  
Dumbledore was a better teacher than Snape. He didn't get visions anymore, only flashes of strong emotion. The emotions in that dream didn't seem particularly strong. There was confusion. Worry. Doubt.  
  
Harry put on his glasses, and stepped out of his sleeping bag. He proceeded to sneak down the stairs. Harry had gotten very good at sneaking. He had to do it quite often.  
  
He found the kitchen already occupied.  
  
Tonks was amusing Hermione and Buyo, changing faces.  
  
She looked up sharply when Harry walked in, her face quickly shifting back to normal.  
  
"Oh Harry! It's just you! I thought you were one of the muggles for a moment there."  
  
"Erm..."  
  
"We were just having some tea, Harry," continued Tonks. "Shall I get you a cup?"  
  
"NO!" Said Harry, a bit too quickly. Tonks was a VERY clumsy person. "Er. I mean, I'll get it myself."  
  
"What are you doing up, Harry?" Queried Hermione.  
  
"I, er, had another vision," he told her. It wasn't HIS fault. He'd been practicing, and Hermione had no reason to get mad. "It was odd, though. No strong emotion, He almost seemed...weaker."  
  
"What do you mean Harry?" Asked Hermione, sounding worried. Her brow was knit, and one finger rapped the tabletop.  
  
"Well He seemed much more wrapped up in His thoughts than usual. He has an amazing mind. He's usually concentrating on several things at once. But just now He was only thinking about something He's lost, and I think He told Wormtail he was sending someone to find it..." Harry proceeded to tell Hermione and Tonks all he could remember of the dream.  
  
"You should speak with Dumbledore in the morning, Harry." Said Tonks, seriously.  
  
"I know."  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
NOTES:  
  
*In book five, Harry does a spell without touching his wand, so I'm assuming that it is possible to do a spell, with out touching a wand as long as the wand is near by.  
  
**In Medieval England it was believed that you could summon a demon, by saying its name backwards, or a certain number of times. Some of the demons were called, Abracadabra, Alakazam, Hocus-pocus, and so on.  
  
***So...how many people remembered the name of Voldemort's pet snake? Good for you! 


	4. Of Meetings and Pranksters

Authors notes:  
  
Sorry the chapter took longer than usual, but as compensation, it is twice as long as usual (or nearly anyway). Thank you to those of you who reviewed! I'm glad you like my story. The stuff that happens is this chapter is actually quite important... I just can't tell you why yet. So without further ado, enjoy the Disclaimer!  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. I am only borrowing him. I would lie, and say that I owned Harry Potter, but I think he might jinx me...  
  
Just so you know:  
  
"blah" speech  
  
'blah' thought  
  
blah Memory  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Chapter Four: Of meetings and pranksters  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Inuyasha glared down from his perch in a tree.  
  
Kagome had suggested everybody go to sleep. They could figure out a way to send Abracadabra back where he came from in the morning, but at that moment the only one coherent enough to think properly was Inuyasha and, he admitted grudgingly, at the time he had seemed more apt to string curses together than arrive at grand solutions.  
  
Now, since he was up, he was appointed the duty of keeping the fire going. It was a chilly night, and the others had decided that he could serve the double purpose, of 'Night Watch-man' and 'Stick Boy.' Normally he wouldn't mind, but tonight he felt that if he didn't keep a steady watch on the fire, it would sputter out just to spite him.  
  
Paranoid?  
  
Perhaps. But in a world where Kagome could summon the 'All Powerful Demon' or youkai (whatever), with a polished stick...  
  
What was more, he REALLY didn't like this Abracadabra guy. His little log "demonstration" was enough to tell Inuyasha that he hadn't been lying (or at least not completely) about his power. Inuyasha found that he was extremely uncomfortable as he realized that Abracadabra might possibly be able to survive Tetsusaiga. Up until this point only two youkai had survived Tetsusaiga's most powerful attacks when hit head on: Naraku and Sesshomaru. And only because they were cheating bastards who didn't keep their hearts in their bodies, or they had father's other fang...  
  
It was more than a bit disconcerting that their newest traveling companion was possibly more powerful than Naraku himself, and the only thing that kept him from doing harm was an extremely vague spell that kept him from harming people except under special, and might I add, unpredictable circumstances.  
  
Yes, Inuyasha was looking forward to sending Abracadabra back where he came from...  
  
Or to his grave. Kami knew four-hundred years is old enough...  
  
He turned his glare momentarily down at the demon that sat peacefully against a tree at the opposite end of the clearing, with a powerful barrier up, and glowing darkly, and reflecting anything that tried to enter, be it a small night creature or firelight.  
  
'Well... That's too bad about the grave idea...'  
  
The rustling of noisy sleeping bag material, drew his attention to Kagome. At first he thought she was awake again, but he soon realized that she had only shifted in her sleep.  
  
He was alone in his watch.  
  
He wondered what Kagome thought of the whole affair. She had wrapped the 'magic wand' thing up in one of her school uniforms, vowing not to touch it again until she took a good look at her Spell Book.  
  
She had scooted right under the tree he kept watch from, the need to feel protected overpowering the need to be near the fire. She had eyed Abracadabra warily until she fell asleep.  
  
Inuyasha felt kind of bad for her. She seemed to have been upset about something. Though that wasn't quite the word. Disillusioned seemed closer to the mark.  
  
Inuyasha didn't know WHAT she had to be upset about.  
  
'Keh, I probably just imagined it. I bet she's cooking up stupid ideas to make that filthy baka 'good' or something.' He snorted.  
  
He doubted even Kagome could get that bastard to be 'nice.' He almost envied Abracadabra his resilience, but then, he had a pretty sweet setup at the moment. And if letting his guard down every once and a while was the price to pay, well, that could be...refreshing.  
  
'Kagome's more powerful than any of us thought.'  
  
Long into the night Inuyasha pondered this thought, as he stared into the fire, occasionally adding sticks to the flame.  
  
Kagome had strange powers. She was not as physically strong as he Sango, or Miroku. And he used to taunt her about being useless, except for collecting Shikon shards.  
  
He didn't mean it.  
  
One thing Inuyasha knew about himself; that required no real thought to understand, was that he was a Big Mouth. He didn't speak much (not as much as Shippou or Kagome, anyway...Or even Miroku), and when he did he tried to choose his words carefully. Because if he didn't, he almost always said the wrong thing, and offended somebody.  
  
He had never meant it.  
  
Kagome was not useless. Her sacred arrows had taken down youkai the size of a house, had almost taken down Naraku... twice! And it wasn't just that. Kagome was their miracle worker. Whenever the situation was most dire, enough so that everyone else lost hope, it was always Kagome who saved the day.  
  
Inuyasha knew he didn't always SAY the right thing, but he wasn't stupid. He saw the pattern. Even if he hadn't really appreciated it at first. Like when Kagome had pulled Tetsusaiga out, and enabled him to use it (though he viciously denied it afterwards). Or the time with Kagura, when Kagome shot an arrow so he could use the wind scar. There was even the time when she had gotten everyone their souls back out of Kanna's mirror.  
  
And just recently, he had realized that she was worth more than just her powers. Kagome gave every one of them strength. Especially him.  
  
"For just a bit longer. Please support me." *  
  
'We would have died. We all would have really died that time if it wasn't for Kagome.'  
  
Never had he appreciated someone so much, as at that moment, when Kagome supported him. It felt...nice...to be able to rely on someone. He had never allowed himself the luxury before.  
  
But that wasn't the point right now.  
  
Inuyasha did NOT like what the magic wand had done so far. But realized a good thing when he saw it. He would make sure that Kagome mastered that spell book.  
  
Because that wand was unlocking her power.  
  
And the more control Kagome got over her power, the safer she would be.  
  
Inuyasha sometimes pitied Kagome. Because unlike He, Miroku, Sango, and even Shippou and Kirara, Kagome did not know her limits, and had no way of finding them.  
  
He remembered what it had been like. First getting the Tetsusaiga, and not even knowing how to make it transform. Not knowing when he would be able to use it. Not knowing when it would protect him. He was surer of himself now. Even if he did still have a lot to learn.  
  
Maybe now, Kagome would be surer of herself too. And that would give HER strength, which would in turn make the rest of them even stronger.  
  
'That bastard Naraku's gonna wish he'd gotten rid of Kagome while he had a chance.'  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Harry!" Someone was now shaking him.  
  
Harry was surprised that he had fallen asleep again. After that dream he didn't think he was capable of it.  
  
"Harry!" It was Ron's voice. He sounded slightly frightened.  
  
"What?" Said Harry blearily.  
  
"Moody's here!" Hissed Ron. "And he looks ready to kill something!"  
  
Harry cringed. Mad Eyed Moody was a scary man, regardless. But when Mad Eye was mad, he was as frieghtening as any Death Eater alive.  
  
'And he must not be too happy about us giving him the slip the other day.'  
  
"Did Mrs. Higurashi see him yet?"  
  
"Yeah. She's a special one, for a muggle. She didn't look frightened of Moody at all. The woman could stare down 'you know who' himself." This made Harry visibly relax.  
  
'All right, so they haven't scared our hostess out of her wits. Yet...'  
  
"Have you seen Hermione?" Harry asked.  
  
At this Ron's face took on a pink tinge, as if he was remembering something rather embarrassing. He answered, "Yeah, I spoke to her before breakfast. She told me about that dream you had, Harry. How're you gonna reach Dumbledore?"  
  
"I think he's coming here."  
  
"Good morning Harry! Are you up?" Came Hermione's voice, from the hall.  
  
"Morning Hermione."  
  
The door opened, and Hermione came in. She wore jeans, and a sweater, but her slippers were still on, her hair was slightly mussed, as if she had not had time to brush it yet, and she carried a Japanese book, though Harry was certain she'd forgotten she was holding it.  
  
"Harry, I've been thinking about that dream you had, and I think I have a theory." That's Hermione for you. When she had a 'brilliant' idea, she'd cut right to the chase. Of course brilliant for Hermione ranged from finding out about a basilisk (a very good thing), and how not to get killed by it, to her still up-and-running organization, S.P.E.W. (not- in Harry or Ron's opinion anyway- one of Hermione's best ideas)  
  
Ron, of course, took the bait, "A theory?"  
  
"You said that Voldemort," Ron cringed, "seemed weaker Harry?" Hermione waited for Harry to nod before she continued. "Well, think about it you two. We know that the ministry was tracking a KWIKSPELL course that had been sold to a muggle. But would Fudge normally send a team from outside of Mr. Weasley's department if that was all they thought it was? And why would the Order of the Phoenix get involved if it didn't have anything to do with Voldemort- don't be a baby Ron- or his Death Eaters?"  
  
"Uh."  
  
"Erm..."  
  
"The order hasn't sighted him on the move in over two weeks. I think he's plotting something, and it's making him weaker. And if Dumbledore's coming, then what ever it is, is here."  
  
"Oh," said Harry.  
  
Ron just blinked.  
  
"As sharp as ever, I see. Good form, Hermione." Came the voice of Dumbledore himself. He was standing just inside the door. He wore wizard's robes, of a deep blue color, and his eyes peered over half moon spectacles, twinkling a bit more than usual, as if he had just learned something particularly amusing.  
  
His sudden appearance caused all three teenagers to jump.  
  
"I cannot stay long, for the ministry must not know I am here. They have good intentions but they are too easy to breach."  
  
'Ah. So that explains why he's speaking to us, and not Moody or Lupin and Tonks. They're probably with Holms or Templeton,' Harry thought.  
  
"It is most important that I speak with any members of the Order in the immediate area."  
  
'Well that's going to be a lot of people,' Harry realized, 'everyone's in Tokyo for the World Cup...'  
  
"And I believe YOU had something to tell me Harry."  
  
"Yes I,"  
  
"I apologize Harry, but I must leave. I came to ask that you notify Tonks, Remus, and Alastor, that they should come to arranged spot at noon. And I hope I can count on the three of you to keep the Ministry agents busy, at that time."  
  
"Professor, I know we're not in the Order yet, but could you at least give us an idea of what's going on?" Hermione asked.  
  
"I will want to speak with you, Harry. If you wait for me outside of the well house on the shrine grounds, I will come to get you at three o'clock. You are free to tell Ron and Hermione what we discuss, in fact I ask that you do. And I must ask you two," he gestured to Ron and Hermione, "to excuse me, But I really must speak to Harry. And it will look suspicious if all three of you disappear. Now I must take my leave."  
  
Dumbledore brandished his wand, and then he was gone. There was no noise, or anything.  
  
"Wicked!" Said Ron, impressed.  
  
"Professor Dumbledore has the cleanest apparating and disapparating spells I've ever seen!" Hermione supplemented.  
  
"Well, let's go. We've got to find everyone," Harry snapped them all out of their silent awe.  
  
"Oh yeah," said Ron. "I'll find Lupin, and Hermione, you can get Tonks. Harry," Ron snickered slightly. "Why don't you get Moody?"  
  
"What?" Harry cried. "Can't we find them together? You said Moody was seething when you saw him!"  
  
"Exactly!" Answered Ron. "Of the three of us, Mad Eye's least likely to maim you."  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"I really don't like you," she said, as she waded through the shallows of the lake.  
  
"I could tell."  
  
"And that's a rare thing you know," Kagome continued, plucking a blouse out of the water and tossing it to shore. "There are very few people that I actually dislike. And most of them have committed heinous crimes."  
  
Inuyasha snorted, as he dove for a sock.  
  
"But you! You are despicable!"  
  
Abracadabra feigned astonishment. "What? You mean you don't LIKE me?"  
  
At this point everyone was worrying about Kagome's health.  
  
Is it SAFE to be that red?  
  
'Shit. Kagome looks like she really wants to 'sit' that bastard or something.'  
  
Inuyasha had already used up his colorful dictionary of 'things to say when you're pissed' earlier that morning. Truth be told, Inuyasha had to agree with Kagome on this one. Abracadabra was annoying as hell. He was worse than Jaken, even. If only because you could hit Jaken. If you tried to pound this guy in to the ground, he would just go all 'transparent' on you, and your fist would go right through him without striking a thing.  
  
Abracadabra had started the day off with a few 'harmless' pranks. The last of which, was to dump the contents of Kagome's book bag into a lake that had 'conveniently appeared' over night.  
  
To Kagome's chagrin, the contents of her pack included her homework, schoolbooks, and calculator.  
  
It also included the Ramen.  
  
So naturally, Inuyasha was fuming.  
  
Kagome's homework lay drying on a rock in the sun. Shippou and Kirara kept guard so that no more prank-playing demons could get their hands on it. Her books, and calculator were beyond saving.  
  
The fish at the bottom of the lake were REALLY enjoying the ramen.  
  
Miroku, Sango, Inuyasha, and Kagome were wading around, collecting items from the backpack. Abracadabra watched, serenely, from the base of a nearby tree.  
  
They would find pens note cards, a chocolate that had been meant for Shippou, and an occasional article of clothing.  
  
Kagome was still in her pink pajamas. All of her clothes were floating in the lake, save for one shirt, which she had used to wrap up her wand last night.  
  
"Come look Kagome-sama! Your Spell Books are magnificent!" Came Miroku's voice.  
  
All the item hunters went to see what Miroku was holding up in the shallows.  
  
He had one book in each hand. They had come from the water, but they were perfectly dry.  
  
"Hey I guess they really are magic!" Kagome exclaimed happily.  
  
"Perhaps if I consult them, I could find a way to exorcise Abracadabra." Miroku offered.  
  
"Please do, Houshi-sama!" Sango spoke for the first time. "The sooner we get rid of that stupid con the better."  
  
"I agree, Sango-"  
  
"EEEP! PER-"Kagome didn't get to slap his hand away, or even finish the word, because through the clearing came a resounding CRACK!  
  
Miroku slumped, unconscious into Sango, sporting a huge bump on his head. Inuyasha dropped a rock back into the water as he walked away.  
  
Apparently he'd had rightfully enough.  
  
"Today was NOT the day to cross me, Bouzo," he muttered, picking up a container of lip-gloss.  
  
Silence prevailed for a moment, and then, "Here Sango-chan, let me help you carry him to land."  
  
"Thank you, Kagome-chan."  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"This is your fault, Inuyasha." Shippou said, after wisely relocating to Sango's shoulder, where the dog-boy could not reach him.  
  
"Jeez, I know already!"  
  
"Why did you knock Miroku-sama unconscious Inuyasha?" Kagome asked, as if she were merely curious.  
  
"Come on Kagome! Don't tell me you weren't about to hit him anyway!"  
  
"Well..." Said Kagome. "Maybe so, but I wouldn't have knocked him out! Not when he was our best hope for getting rid of that JERK." She jabbed a finger towards Abracadabra moodily.  
  
"It's rude to point, dear," said Abracadabra solemnly.  
  
"Grrrrrrrr..." Was the closest to an audible answer Kagome could give him.  
  
Inuyasha did feel like a bit of a baka now that he paused to contemplate his actions.  
  
Not that he was SORRY. Miroku had got what was coming to him.  
  
But in retrospect, knocking out their only trained Houshi might not have been the smartest thing to do when they had to get rid of an EXTREMELY evil presence.  
  
Of course now they were going to the nearest village, to find someone who could exorcise a youkai for them.  
  
The irony was not lost on him.  
  
"YOU JERK! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT! I THOUGHT YOU WANTED TO GO HOME-"  
  
Inuyasha cringed, and edged towards Kirara, who was in her transformed state, carrying an unconscious Miroku.  
  
Apparently Kagome had found her voice.  
  
Inuyasha was just really glad that Kagome wasn't mad at HIM any more.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Excuse me!" Said Shippou. "But is there a holy person in this village?"  
  
He was speaking to a middle-aged woman, who eyed he, Inuyasha, Abracadabra, and Kirara warily.  
  
"Cause if there is, we really need to talk to them. We've got to exorcise an evil presence."  
  
Abracadabra snorted, "So THAT'S what your calling it."  
  
"Shut up," Inuyasha told him.  
  
Miroku snorted in his sleep.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
*From manga chapter, "Evil Presence." 


	5. Illusions

Authors note: This chapter doesn't go as far in as I expected it to... But I'm really busy, and I had to post SOMETHING, so I decided to sacrifice length in order to retain a semblance of grammar...  
  
Sorry this took so long, but as it says in my bio, I am currently taking the never-ending geometry test (21 pages!), and now I have to finish half a year of Science and Social Studies in less than three weeks! I'm home schooled, you see, and sometimes my schedule gets hectic... Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far. It's lots of fun to get feedback, and even encouraging.  
  
I promise everyone! This won't be some weird story were the Inuyasha gang just miss meeting Harry Potter. They WILL MEET. We just have to be patient, because there's some important stuff going on.  
  
I promise this is the last thing! Just for the record, this story takes place after the events of Manga chapter 358: Illusion, but for all purposes in this story Goryoumaru is dead. Partially because I haven't seen enough of him to get much of an idea on his character, and also because I have no use for him at the moment. Naraku IS, however, hunting powerful youkai, though he himself will let Kohaku and Hakudoushi do the dirty work...  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or Harry Potter... But some of the characters like me, so they let me borrow them for a bit.  
  
"blah" speech  
  
#blah# Japanese  
  
'blah' thought  
  
blah memory  
  
Chapter Five: Illusions  
  
#I wish Miroku would wake up already! # Kagome huffed as she glared half- heartedly at Inuyasha across the incense hazed room.  
  
It was hard to be too mad at him, when anyone could see he was suffering enough. Between the immense annoyance called Abracadabra, the scents the local wise woman was using for her ritual, and the fact that he had mixed his own bitter cup by knocking Miroku unconscious with that rock, Kagome guessed he was getting a sizeable headache.  
  
Miroku was still out cold. He was currently slumped against a hut wall with Sango supporting him. The wise woman had begun a ritual to banish a powerful youkai, and as she worked, Abracadabra made faces at her.  
  
'He really doesn't act hundreds of years old...' Kagome couldn't help but think.  
  
Inuyasha glared alternately between Abracadabra and the unconscious Miroku, occasionally take a break to gaze enviously at Shippou, who had hidden his nose away is Kagome's hair to keep out the thick scent of burning incense.  
  
Kagome herself watched the old woman in fascination, until she abruptly stopped.  
  
#I apologize, # the woman said. #But I am not strong enough to alter this spell, and trying any harder will undo me. #  
  
#Shit! You mean we've been wasting our time here for nothing? And you call yourself a Priestess! # Inuyasha said. In another time and place, he might have been able to hold his tongue, but his head was spinning from the reek of the perfumed hut, and his mouth ran without his head to check it.  
  
The Wise Woman had her head bowed in shame at her failure.  
  
#Inuyasha...# Kagome began dangerously, #SIT! #  
  
As Kagome continued to berate Inuyasha, Sango bowed to the wise-woman.  
  
#We apologize, Miko-sama. But it is not your fault. We have already been to several other villages, and none have been able to get rid of the youkai. Do not take Inuyasha's word to heart, he is usually rude, and today he has reason to be in an especially fowl mood. # Sango bowed again, only to see her hair change color.  
  
#Kyaaa! It's purple! # She exclaimed grabbing a fistful of her hair.  
  
#Don't be so upset Sango! # Abracadabra mocked. #I think it suits you. # He flicked his hand, and her skin started to turn blue.  
  
#Change me back! # Bellowed Sango, #Change me back or, so help me, I'll find a way to kill you!'  
  
#Alright, alright! # Said Abracadabra, as blue Sango attempted to run him through with her sword.  
  
By this time Kagome, Inuyasha and Shippou were watching the display wide- eyed. Inuyasha from his crater in the ground, and Shippou from behind Kagome's hair.  
  
Abracadabra waved his hand at a bucket in the corner of the room, and before Sango could do anything, it had floated over to her, and dowsed her in icy water. Her hair and skin slowly changed back to normal, but...  
  
#I'm...soaked, # said Sango quietly.  
  
#Here Sango-chan, I'll get you a towel, # said Kagome kindly, as she put a hand on her friend's shoulder and led her to the corner of the room.  
  
The Wise Woman turned her sympathetic gaze to Kagome. #Go child, # She said. #The sooner that beast is returned to its cage the better. #  
  
'Why do I have this feeling of encroaching doom?' Harry couldn't help but wonder as he spotted the figure of a man slumped on the couch, and silently seething. His face was hidden by his hair, and the long brim of his hat, and though his gaze seemed to be directed at the ground, Harry could almost swear he heard the faint whirring of a hidden glass eye, as it darted back and forth, allowing it's owner, even in his rage, to meet his own standard: "CONSTANT VILIGENCE!"  
  
It was at least partially because of this, that Harry was not surprised when the figure spoke.  
  
Not that he didn't jump anyway...  
  
"So Potter, please tell me," Moody gritted out. "Haven't you learned your lesson or are you really trying to get killed?"  
  
Harry couldn't help but wince at that. He knew what Moody was referring to.  
  
"I'm not an idiot. I've learned from my mistakes, and I'll never act that stupid again," He said, every bit as harsh as Moody. "Sirius is dead, but I won't let it happen to anyone else." Harry bowed his head so that his bangs covered his face, even though he knew perfectly well that Moody could see his face, bangs or no.  
  
"Then what the hell are you three doing here?" Moody exclaimed. The only thing the kept him from yelling it was the knowledge that Mrs. Higurashi was in the next room.  
  
"I didn't even WANT to come. But then Hermione realized that Tonks and Lupin would need help translating, unless the Higurashi's spoke English fluently. At first we weren't even going to come in, but I noticed that this place has an odd feel to it. Almost as if there's magic here. And I mean an odd feel, but not a threatening one. But anyway, Professor Dumbledore was here earlier this morning, and he said that there was going to be a meeting of the Order in the arranged spot- where ever that is –and that you should go there at noon. He also said that he was going to meet me at the shrine later today, and Ron and Hermione and I are staying until then to keep the ministry wizards from making themselves any more suspicious to the muggles than completely necessary."  
  
Giving that lengthy report reminded Harry vaguely of a soldier reporting to his higher ups, but it seemed to satisfy Moody, because all he said to that was, "Alright then Potter, then go do what your supposed to, and keep those idiots out of trouble."  
  
Harry almost winced with the harsh tone Moody said 'idiots.' There was no denying that the Ministry had been a major key in the success of Voldemort's first year of renewed life, however unwitting they may have been. Fudge had yet to learn of the Order, and was having enough trouble retaining his office. Moody's bitterness was understandable, but still, it went a bit against Dumbledore's policy of 'avoiding discord.'  
  
Nevertheless, Harry did as he was told, just happy to get out of the room where Mad-eyed Moody was currently redirecting his anger at the magical government of England.  
  
#What's up, Inuyasha? Do you sense something? # Kagome asked, when Inuyasha stopped, muscles tensing up. Above their heads Kirara stopped as well, sniffing the air. The atmosphere was suddenly apprehensive, and despite the warm noon day sun, and sparkling brook that wove through thick emerald green grass creating the verisimilitude of the perfect afternoon in paradise, the whole group of travelers had become ill at ease, with the exception of Abracadabra, who floated on his back lagging behind them slightly, the picture of unaffectedness. It was Inuyasha who spoke first.  
  
#That stench...# He gritted out, shifting his hold on Kagome, who was on his back, so that he would be able to draw the Tetsusaiga quickly as possible.  
  
#Is it Naraku? # Kagome asked, not sure if she should be hopeful or not. After all, they WERE looking for him...  
  
#The smell of human blood! # Shippou yelled, after sniffing the air himself.  
  
This caught Abracadabra's attention. #Hmmm... Perhaps there has been a massacre! # He said this in such an ambiguous manner that nobody was able to tell if the idea appalled or delighted him.  
  
#I hope not! # Kagome exclaimed.  
  
#Then let's double our pace, now! We cannot afford to waist time! #  
  
#Houshi-sama is right! # Said Sango. #Kirara! #  
  
The fire cat launched herself higher into the air and sped ahead. Inuyasha quickened his pace, doing his best not to jolt Kagome as she strung her bow.  
  
Soon after, they came upon the epitome of chaos. Fire and smoke rose from all of the huts that were still standing. Children were bawling, and some were being trampled. In the streets there were several overturned wagons, and men and women ran around screaming with crazed looks on their faces.  
  
Several people had swards, spears, and even pitchforks, and were fighting a battle with some invisible foe. One man hurled his spear at something only he could see, but it hit another man in the leg just as the thrower cried out in pain for no apparent reason, and collapsed to the ground.  
  
#What's going on here? # Shippou asked, when Kirara landed and he took a spot on Kagome's shoulder.  
  
#The whole place's gone nut's! # Said Inuyasha in a mix of confusion and disgust. #They're destroying their own village! #  
  
#Over there! # Kagome pointed towards an overturned wagon with a young woman pinned underneath, and made her way there, just barley avoiding several wayward spears and arrows before Inuyasha came to shield her.  
  
Kagome rushed up to the girl, and wiped some of the blood and sweat off her face, while Inuyasha lifted the wagon off her. A child tripped over Kagome's outstretched foot as she checked the girl for broken ribs, but before she could do anything the child shrieked at something behind her and ran back into the masses of hysterical villagers.  
  
Miroku, unable to ignore a woman in trouble, hastily gathered the injured girl up to lay her out of harms way, but discovered that he could not move her himself without exacerbating the injuries.  
  
#Miroku-sama, let me help you! # Kagome had noticed his dilemma, and together they carefully lifted the girl up brought her out of the village with Sango and Inuyasha shielding them.  
  
Miroku had set the girls head down on the grass, facing away from the village, when she opened her eyes, and noting his monks clothes wheezed, #Houshi-sama, behind you! # before passing out again.  
  
The four friends instantly spun around on the alert and in fighting stances.  
  
And looked at each other, puzzled.  
  
Behind them was the picturesque day they had left, minutes before.  
  
#It is obvious these villagers are under some sort of illusion, # Miroku began. #The question is what to do about it. #  
  
There was a pause, and then...  
  
#I say we should knock em' out before we do anything else. They're not doing themselves any favors staying conscious. #  
  
#Quite interesting, # said Miroku. #For once Inuyasha's violent method of handling things seems to be the most acceptable course of action. #  
  
#Just shut the Hell up, and get to work! # Inuyasha growled.  
  
They were about to go back in, when every one of the townspeople inexplicably stopped moving, and collapsed.  
  
#What the?!#  
  
#Hey you guys! # Came Shippou's voice. #Look at this! #  
  
Shippou suddenly appeared with something clasped carefully between his two hands. The transformed Kirara walked behind him. Shippou held out his hands so that they could see a thumb-sized bug, with four humanoid hands pinned behind his wings. He wore a shimmering black chest-plate and helmet. He was colored and shaped like a wasp, but closer inspection proved him to be some type of small moth youkai.  
  
#This guy was using magic to make those villagers cause a riot! #  
  
Inuyasha took the tiny youkai, as it hissed and shrieked angrily in a high- pitched voice. He assessed it for a moment, then crushed it between his thumb and forefinger, #couldn't even talk and it caused all that trouble...scum, # he added contemptuously.  
  
He flicked the minuscule corpse onto the roadside, when he heard a familiar buzzing sound. Nearly faster than the eye could follow, one of Naraku's poisonous insects swooped down and picked the dead youkai up.  
  
#IRON REAVER SOUL STEALER! # Inuyasha yelled, as he ripped bee to pieces, and caught the youkai corpse in one fisted hand. #HAKUDOUSHI! # He snarled, and bared his fangs. #What do you want?!#  
  
A column of white light shot out of the sky, and Hakudoushi suddenly materialized in front of them.  
  
#Believe it or not, Inuyasha, I don't have time for you now. Now why don't you do this simply, and hand me that moth? #  
  
#Heh... What do you think I am? An idiot? TETSUSAIGA! #  
  
Hakudoushi was blasted into bits, but in spite of this, when his mouth floated by them, he chuckled, #Kukuku, Inuyasha, you will never learn! I cannot be killed in such a simple way! Even that annoying priestess woman knew better than that! #  
  
'Priestess...' Hakudoushi faded out of vision. #Hey wait you little bastard! What do you know about Kikyo?!#  
  
Out of the blue, a rock started to laugh hysterically.  
  
Then the rock turned into Abracadabra.  
  
Notes: Imaginary cookie for anyone who knows what Hakudoushi was referring to when he talked about Kikyo. I'll even give you a clue... It's in the Manga!  
  
For those of you who don't know who Hakudoushi is, he's probably Naraku's most annoying incarnation. Born when a baby incarnation was cut in half, he grew up to be a pale, creepy young boy, with white hair. The other half of the baby is still a baby, and is under the care of Kanna, and a Giant monster incarnation. This baby is actually both Naraku and Hakudoushi's heart, and is kept under wraps by a stone that erases youki. The most annoying thing about Hakudoushi is probably that no matter how many pieces you've cut him into, he'll still manage to escape and pull himself back together. This is because his heart is not kept in his body, hence the "You cannot kill me in that way," line. 


	6. A Brief Repose

Authors note: GAAAH! I feel so lazy! Gomen! I've written this chapter so many times I'm sick of it! But you see, I've been trying to move the plot along... I know exactly what has to happen, but for some reason it's taking WAY too long to Kagome home! It seems like the character's each have an opinion on every little thing...  
  
Actually you can thank LadyDi for this post. I just read her awesome story Fate and Destiny (over 300,000 words people), in which the main plot doesn't start until chapter forty something. I figured, if a BRILLIENT author can go around 200,000 words without introducing the main plot, then a couple more chapters shouldn't be such a big deal as long as they actually have something to say...  
  
Well, Happy Fourth to any here from the U.S.A., and may your ears ring for days on out with the echo of fireworks lost... Nothing like some good old fashion explosives! Though I myself have to hear a safety lecture if I want to touch so much as a sparkler--'  
  
I'm trying to update as often as possible, but I'm taking Geometry over the summer. And I have to prepare for a collage entrance exam (for MATH! Even though I want to take History!). And I'm also working on another book, which I have been planning for over two years now (think binders full of notes). Add seven hours of theater camp a day, and I really don't have much time. Chapter three of my other story DOG-BOY, is almost finished, so hopefully I'll be able to post it soon...  
  
Oh yeah, and now I'm really glad I set this when I did. Because recent manga developments would have made it even HARDER for Kagome to get home!  
  
Disclaimer: I've decided that though unnecessary, disclaimers can be the most amusing part of a story. So...  
  
...me. no. own.  
  
"blah" speech  
  
#blah# Japanese  
  
'blah' thought  
  
memory  
  
Chapter Six: A Brief Repose  
  
--888888888888888--  
  
Last time:  
  
Out of the blue, a rock started to laugh hysterically.  
  
Then the rock turned into Abracadabra.  
  
--888888888888888--  
  
The little demon was acting like a child for once, clutching his sides, and rolling on the ground.  
  
#Ah, gods! That was priceless!# He some how managed to say through the laughter. #All over a moth!# He continued to shake with laughter.  
  
#That little brat! What was he gonna say about Kikyo?# Said Inuyasha, still staring after Hakudoushi.  
  
#I...I think I'm dying!# Abracadabra laughed as tears began to form in his eyes.  
  
#She'd better be all right, cause if she's not...#  
  
#GAAAAHHHH!# Kagome's scream caused every one to turn around.  
  
She was standing in one place hitting her head with the palm of her hand and muttering #stupid, stupid, stupid!# repeatedly.  
  
#Um... Kagome?# Shippou finally ventured.  
  
#We had a perfect chance to get rid of him, and Inuyasha had to ruin it! # Kagome threw her hands up in exasperation. #I swear! You can be such an idiot! Why did you just crush the bug like that?#  
  
Inuyasha attempted to look aloof as Kagome glared at him so angrily that her face began to turn red. But in the end he only came off as slightly bewildered, #Hey wait a minute! What'd I--#  
  
He didn't get a chance to finish before Kagome abruptly switched her glare to the rest of their friends. #No wait! I'm being unfair to Inuyasha!# She smacked her head with her palm again. #We should have taken control of the situation right away! We should have known that Inuyasha wouldn't recognize a solution if it slugged him in the face!#  
  
#Hey!#  
  
#And Abracadabra! I thought you WANTED to go home! Surely you, who claim to be the oldest one here would recognize a potential good deed, and seize the opportunity, rather than turn into a rock and hide!#  
  
Abracadabra's eyes widened as comprehension finally dawned on him. Where a moment ago he had been floating three feet in the air, he now sank down into a sitting position. After being still for several moments, he punched the ground, leaving a rather large dent in the dry earth. #SHIT! I AM an idiot!#  
  
Kagome groaned in exasperation. # Sango, can I borrow Kirara? I need some time to think and I really don't want to see either one of those IDIOTS, until I'm done.#  
  
#Of course, Kagome-chan.#  
  
--888888888888888--  
  
Harry was not happy when he stomped into the kitchen to find Ron and Hermione already sitting at the table, waving their cereal spoons around wildly, apparently in the midst of a heated debate.  
  
"Is not!" Argued Ron, whose face had become an angry red Uncle Vernon could be proud of.  
  
"Is too!" Hermione yelled back.  
  
"Is not!'  
  
"Is too!"  
  
"Is not... Bat-breath!"  
  
Hermione drew in a sharp gasp. "WHY YOU- that was all your fault! If you think-" Hermione stopped abruptly when Harry made a small noise in the back of his throat. "Oh! Hello Harry!" Said Hermione a bit too brightly. "How did it go with Moody, then? You seem to be all in one piece..."  
  
Harry still glared, but also noted with no small amount of curiosity how Hermione's face had flushed red in what seemed to be embarrassment when she'd noticed Harry in the room. It was hard to tell if Ron had reacted the same way, because his face was already scarlet, as it tended to be when he was particularly exasperated. But still...  
  
'I'll have to see what that was about later since it seems that I'm back in the snooping business. Well that retirement lasted what? A month?'  
  
"I spoke with Moody," he said slowly. "He agrees with Dumbledore..."  
  
"In that case, it looks like we'll be babysitting today," sighed Ron, eyeing the living room where he had seen Brocklehurst only minutes before.  
  
"I wonder what's REALLY going on. Everyone's acting so strange..." Hermione trailed into silence, only to be startled be looking up and realizing that both Harry and Ron where staring at her. "What?"  
  
"Honestly, for such a smart girl..." Ron muttered. "Hermione I'm sure that Harry and I both appreciate mind-games, but would you mind finishing that thought before you get some kind of weird inspiration, and run off with out saying anything?"  
  
"Oh sorry," said Hermione, pretty much unaffected. "I was just thinking that maybe there's more going on here than meets the eye..."  
  
"What makes you think that?" Harry prompted. Though he had noticed that this shrine felt unlike any other place of worship used by muggles. The air here seemed to ring with some kind of strange energy. It reminded him of Hogwarts, only the feeling wasn't quite the same, it almost seemed more...pure was the closest word.  
  
"Well for one thing, Professor Dumbledore has practically ordered us to stay, and I also find it a bit odd that the ministry STILL can't find that girl."  
  
"Hermione's right! Muggles are always easy to find! Dad says it's because they don't normally disappear to magical places."  
  
"You mean like Number Twelve?" Harry asked, with an eyebrow raised.  
  
"Yes well," Hermione cut in, not to be deterred. "I think that there is something here that we're supposed to find out, I mean this family is a little odd come to think of it. They don't seem at all phased by any of this."  
  
"Not to mention how weird this place feels," muttered Harry.  
  
"What do you mean by that Harry?" queried Hermione, her brow shooting up.  
  
"You mean you guys haven't noticed?" Harry seemed genuinely puzzled at the two negative shakes of the head he was presented with. "This shrine... It the ground's are covered in this energy... Kind of like Hogwarts, but less dense..."  
  
"You mean you can feel the magic at Hogwarts Harry?" Asked Hermione.  
  
"Er, yes?" Said a quietly bewildered Harry. It had not occurred to him that he might have been the only one to sense such things, though by now it didn't surprise him too much.  
  
"But that doesn't even make sense! If this place had a magical aura like Hogwarts, then electronics wouldn't work here, and Ron and I both saw Professor Lupin trouncing Holms in a video game!"  
  
"I didn't say it was exactly like Hogwarts. That's just what it reminds me of!" Said Harry. Normally this would be the point in the conversation where he got irritated, and broke off the subject as quickly as possible, but since today he was feeling unusually patient... "At Hogwarts, the magic floating around is because of all the spells on the grounds, and all the students and teachers constantly using magic. It's less cluttered here, though, haven't you noticed that since we arrived at the shrine it's been harder to hold on to negative feelings? Come to think of it, even Moody was more reasonable than usual..." Harry trailed of.  
  
There was silence for a moment, as Ron and Hermione considered what Harry said.  
  
'That was unusually perceptive of Harry,' thought Hermione.  
  
Now that Ron thought about it..."You mean we're being brainwashed by a muggle shrine?! That's unsettling..." Said Ron, casting a suspicious glance to the teapot, which had begun to whistle and spout steam.  
  
--888888888888888--  
  
It is often said, we are the stars of our own life, and if this was so, then Mr. George Bennit only wondered whether his life would be considered a thriller or mystery...  
  
Perhaps a bit of both?  
  
He knew he was most certainly a kind, likable character, if only because of what he was doing now. He was not dull, and one might even venture to say that he was smart.  
  
Well, he did feel awfully clever at the moment anyway, as he finished off the last stack of forms to be filled out.  
  
"Muggles," he had told Brocklehurst, "are all about paperwork. We have the best ministry trackers, not to mention local authorities, actively searching for the Higurashi kid. Now...we know that...but her mother, being a muggle, can't possibly comprehend the forces at work here. So, to make her feel better we give her paper-work."  
  
Rubbing his eyes, he neatened the stack, and went to find Mrs. Higurashi.  
  
--88888888888888—  
  
Nimble fingers made quick work of bandaging a teenage boy's head wound.  
  
A thought was nagging at the edge of her mind, but she pushed it aside. She could not risk becoming distracted.  
  
'Emotions have no place in a sick room,' she could hear Keade saying. One of her first offered bits of wisdom.  
  
Pushing aside disturbing thoughts, but finding her mind needed something to keep it occupied as she soaked new bandages in ointment, she let her thoughts turn to a much frequented subject.  
  
No matter how often she thought about it, it still seemed strange to contemplate that earlier this year, the scariest thing in her life were the high school entrance exams looming ahead like an ominous cloud. That mere months ago(A/N,1), not only had she never seen a dead body, but she had not been a student of medicine, OR believed in Youkai, Mononoke, Haku, or any kind of magic powers. Heck, if someone had told her last December that come summer she would be searching the Internet, of all places, for magic SPELL books, she would have told the person they were crazy with less tact than Souta on a bad day.  
  
Kagome tied off the last bandage as she recognized Inuyasha's aura behind her.  
  
When Kagome had first met him, Inuyasha had made her feel unsettled. His youki had never felt quite evil... but it was bad enough to send a slight shiver down her spine.  
  
She wasn't sure if it was Inuyasha himself that had changed, or perhaps just her perception of him. He was certainly a good deal more open than he had been, and Kagome knew that he had slowly started warming up to her. Now she found that being within range of him was... well, she couldn't say calming exactly... but it affected her mood... Kagome couldn't stay angry long if Inuyasha was anything but. Sometimes his presence was enough to make her heart twist painfully. It was a strange sensation, because it would come unexpectedly, and she welcomed it, because though it was painful, it brought a warmth to her heart that made up for all the hurt, and she had known for a while now, that the feeling was love.  
  
It was a nice feeling, but not something she liked to dwell on.  
  
Having had time to cool down since her blow up, her lips turned up in a small content smile when Inuyasha sat down beside her. Her spirits lifted slightly despite the morbid landscape that folded out in front of her. It was easy to allow herself a small happiness with the comfort of a good friend near by.  
  
Inuyasha waited for her to finish cleaning the shallow wounds on an old man's face before he spoke, not wanting to distract her.  
  
When he finally did begin to speak, Kagome cut him off.  
  
#I shouldn't have gotten so upset with you Inuyasha. I've been letting this whole thing get to me way too much.#  
  
He bit back the instinctual arrogant response instead offering only a #Keh.#  
  
After all, he wanted to talk with her.  
  
Inuyasha wasn't usually one for discussing his feelings. If something was bothering him he shoved it aside. If a feeling was too strong to ignore he dealt with it. He knew he would only feel guilty saddling someone else with his worries.  
  
But something was definitely bothering Kagome. He did not pretend to have any particular grasp on emotions, but with Kagome, he could usually tell if something was wrong. He couldn't tell what she was thinking about by looking in her eyes (which was a damn scary talent she seemed to have developed without him realizing), but he knew that there was SOMETHING.  
  
Now with someone else, he wouldn't have bothered.  
  
But this was Kagome.  
  
Kagome was a girl.  
  
And for some reason, talking about feelings made girls feel better.  
  
#Kagome...# he began, and then realized that he had not thought about what to say.  
  
Fortunately she seemed to sense his unease, and broached the subject herself.  
  
# I know it wasn't your fault, and I'm sorry I let it affect me so badly...#  
  
'You should be,' he wanted to say. But she had that timid repentant face on, and something was bothering her, and how could he just rub it in if she really was sorry?  
  
'Damn it...'  
  
He couldn't keep the scowl off his face.  
  
If Kagome noticed the face he was making, she ignored it, in favor of tidying up her first aid kit.  
  
#In my time,# she spoke, not looking at him, but rather staring at her busy hands, though in reality they could complete their task even if she had been asleep. #People don't really believe in magic. It's just this... fantastic thing that little children think is real. Abracadabra is like a nursery rhyme in one word. When I was little, I used to say it to try and magically get things I wanted. Say it and a candy bar pops out of nowhere, ne? I guess it's just... really unsettling to find out what I was REALLY saying... I know it sounds kind of stupid out loud but...#  
  
Inuyasha sat and contemplated this for a moment.  
  
Oh yeah, women were really WEIRD.  
  
#Well now that you know, just don't say it again once he's gone...# He instructed.  
  
#You think you have to tell me?#  
  
#You can be pretty thick sometimes, Kagome,# came the imperious answer.  
  
Kagome rolled her eyes, and as one, the people of the village began to stir.  
  
'Now I'm glad I stormed off like that,' she realized. 'If I hadn't then I wouldn't have had time to treat the most serious wounds before everyone woke up... Mou! I can't believe these people go through life without pain killer...'  
  
-88888888888888888-  
  
The worst of the chaos had been erased, and the last of debris in the streets were swept away with the warm, cleansing tide of the morning sun.  
  
Miroku had managed to gain lodgings for the night, as they currently had no idea of the whereabouts of one of Naraku's poisonous insects, let alone Naraku himself. The workings of Abracadabra's bindings had baffled even Miroku, but he had agreed they should seek out the aid of the village Miko when she was not so busy tending the wounded.  
  
Now that he had his explanation for Kagome's behavior, Inuyasha was busy sulking over his allowing anything to take precedence over concern for Kikyo for even a moment-the nature of Hakudoushi's little clue was disturbing to say the least-and was too absorbed in his thoughts to protest any type of delay.  
  
#I wonder where Shippou-chan went off to...# Kagome wondered to Sango. Both were laid on their backs in the grass in a state of relaxation so deep, that Kagome had not used the energy to turn her eyes away from the sky as she spoke.  
  
Kirara was in her smaller form, and had nuzzled right under Sango's palm. She purred, a low rumble as her fur was stroked lethargically.  
  
#He went off with Abracadabra a while ago. Apparently his brand of magic has great 'potential.' I wouldn't have let him Kagome-chan, but it seemed like the only way to keep Abracadabra from playing tricks on those poor villagers!#  
  
#You're right Sango-chan,# Kagome sighed. # At the moment Abracadabra would be a lot more destructive to the village than to Shippou...# Kagome trailed off, and for a time, the silence was broken only by Kirara's happy purr.  
  
Time passed, and Shippou and Abracadabra returned. Apparently Shippou's lesson was over, because he and Abracadabra had initiated a fierce staring contest.  
  
All in all, the atmosphere was surprisingly peaceful, and their 'evil presence' was reduced to little more than a playing child.  
  
-888888888888888888-  
  
On a green hill, the light of the sun cast the silhouette of a human figure.  
  
She had been tracking an evil presence for the whole of the day, and could now clearly see the source of the aura.  
  
Seeming to feel her gaze upon it, the thing turned its head just as she knocked her arrow, and let it fly.  
  
-888888888888888-  
  
A/N 1:Inuyasha turns human once a month, and not counting the barrier incident, Inuyasha has become human five to seven (can't remember exactly off the top of my head) times since Kagome met him. So I'm guessing that it's been about half a year. (And yes, I'm aware that sends MY time line to Hell, cause I'm also pretty sure the manga starts around May, which means this should be in October, even though it takes place in July--')  
  
sashlea: Thank you! I had fun writing it.  
  
CTHKSI: I've always loved Moody's little motto. Though I'm not sure if we ever see the REAL Moody say it (GASP! Has it been that long since I re-read the fifth book?), It seems way too out there to be something the imposter (won't say who... I have friends STILL reading number four for the first time) just made up.  
  
Blackberry: This should kind of answer your question... I'm really happy you reviewed! Your one-shot Urban Renewal is so clever. I really admire your work! 


End file.
